Ah, 2005, what a year. Shall we start with the good news or the bad news? The bad news is pretty bad, so let’s get it out of the way.

If you had to pick one word for 2005, it would be "cupidity," an ugly combination of avarice and ambition, especially when found at the very top of our most esteemed institutions. Worst of all is Paul LeClerc, head of the New York Public Library, and his advisor, John Wilmerding, a former curator and now trustee at the National Gallery of Art, who rushed to auction off the library’s priceless art collection -- including two Gilbert Stuart portraits of George Washington, one once owned by Alexander Hamilton.